Reading Notes: Week 07 "The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung" Part B

 

Sun Wukong and Xuanzang. 1864. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

    Sun is the type of friend that says, "If I bake the cookies at four million degrees for five seconds, that's the same as baking them at 350 degrees for 12 minutes."

    Xuanzang is the type of friend in the background crying because that's not how any of that works,  and "Sun if you actually try it, I'll stick you so far under your mountain Buddha won't be able to pull you out."

    Knowing this, it's understandable why most of the gods and spirits and celestial beings have a bone to pick with Sun. However, there is one being in two stories who has absolute patience with Sun and works to get him mercy from others, the Jade Emporer especially. That being is called Evening Star.

    I searched Wikipedia and Google at large, and couldn't really come up with anything on this being. If anything, he (I believe Evening Star has masculine pronouns) is only a footnote in Sun's Wiki in one part. Another interpretation I found has the Evening Star as Gold Star, but even searching that I still had no luck.

    The reason I'm so fixed on Evening Star's character is that he seems unusually pro-Sun. He defends him multiple times and is a proponent of keeping Sun alive to give him mercy rather than executing him for what he's done (which is a lot). He speaks on Sun's behalf and within Sun's best interests.

    Then his character, as far as I know, disappears. Poof! Into thin air.

    Evening Star is a curiosity to me. He's very important but then isn't mentioned a single time after his parts. Even though, in the end, the actions of Evening Star ensured Sun would be around to aid Xuanzang on his journey to the West.

    Having drawn the conclusions I did for Part A, I think Evening Star was the reason Bodhi had to send Sun away. I don't think it was out of maliciousness that Evening Star caused the friends' separation. I think it was so Sun could fulfill his destiny of protecting Xuanzang, a man who had hundreds of years yet to be born (reborn?) at that time.

    I also think that's why Evening Star suddenly disappears. After Sun is given the empty title of "Great Saint Who Is Heaven's Equal," he is well on his way to his destiny and doesn't need to meddle anymore to make sure things get there.

Bibliography

The Lord of the Heavens from "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm, trans. by Frederick H. Martens

Notscha, Son of Li Dsing from "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm, trans. by Frederick H. Martens